Malakai Bayoh

Malakai M. Bayoh, a talented British chorister drawn to opera, reached the 2023 finale of ITV's Britain's Got Talent while still in his early teens. Born in 2010 in Gravesend, Kent, to parents from Sierra Leone, he grew up in Kennington, South London. His mother recognized his rare vocal gift, prompting him to join St. George's Cathedral Choir, Southwark, at the age of seven. At eleven he entered The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, Kensington, and sang treble in its liturgical choir, the Schola Cantorum. The experience strengthened his assurance and opened doors to fresh engagements. In November 2022 he appeared as Oberto in a Royal Opera House staging of Handel's Alcina, though only twelve at the time. The next month he joined Aled Jones for Classic FM duet performances of "O Holy Night" and "Walking in the Air," which later exceeded a million streams.

April 2023 brought his first solo appearance at the Royal Albert Hall during Classic FM Live, where he sang the "Alleluia" from Mozart's Exsultate, jubilate and Handel's "Lascia ch'io pianga" with the English National Opera Orchestra under Paul Daniel. That month also saw ITV air his Manchester audition for Britain's Got Talent; his delivery of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Pie Jesu" earned him a spot in the live rounds. By June he had advanced to the final, ultimately placed fourth among eleven acts behind winner Viggo Venn, the Norwegian clown and comedian. The visibility secured a contract with Decca's Classic FM label, which promoted him under the single name Malakai. In July the imprint released his debut solo album, Golden, captured in just a few days. It contained several pieces he had performed on Britain's Got Talent together with selected opera favorites and climbed to the top of the U.K. Classical Album Chart while reaching the Top Ten of the broader U.K. Album Chart.